About WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies:
- It was adopted by consensus at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva in June 2022.
- It is the first multilateral WTO agreement with an environmental sustainability objective.
- It prohibits government support to illegal fishing activities and overexploitation of stocks, contributing to the protection of marine life.
- The Agreement entered into force on 15 September 2025 after acceptance by two-thirds of WTO Members.
- India is the 123rd Member of the WTO to deposit its Instrument of Acceptance. i.e
- India has officially joined the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
- Key Features WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies:
- The Agreement focuses on subsidies related to marine wild capture fishing and fishing-related activities at sea.
- Aquaculture and inland fisheries remain outside the scope of this Agreement.
- It protects the livelihoods of traditional and small-scale fishers by promoting sustainable fisheries.
- It prohibits subsidies linked to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and fishing of overfished stocks,
- It also creates a more equitable global fisheries regime by disciplining harmful subsidies that support large, heavily subsidised industrial fishing fleets operated by distant water fishing nations.
